Downtown Newsies
by RacetracksGambler
Summary: Westside Story/Romeo and Juliet/Newsies (btw i know the title sucks but youll live, eh?)


"I don't believe this." Kid Blink pushed himself off the wall he was leaning on and walked angrily towards Greeley Square. "What's that yer talkin 'bout Blink?" Skittery joined his friend in a swift march to the brass statue. "Will you look at them Scabs? Waltzin' inta' our Square like they own the damned place, shit, we had that turf long a'fore they took any inta'rest in it," Blink glared at the two Scabs enjoying their afternoon break from a day of selling papers. "God damn . wish they'd find another job, it'd keep their kind outta our damned sellin' spots." Skittery said, agreeing with Kid Blink. The two continued speed walking into the small area until they were close enough to make the Scabs fully aware of their presence. The four boys stood, glaring at each other until Skittery finally shook his head at his friend, deciding the two before him weren't worthy of fighting. Blink took the hint and walked past the Scabs, careful to bump hard into one of them. The Scab hit looked angrily up at Blink. "Hey newsie watch your fuckin' step. I don't need your filth on my clean cloths, boy." The second Scab sniggered maliciously as Skittery and Blink took a menacing stride towards their enemies. "You want I should soak you, Scab?" Blink hissed. "Was that a threat, Polack?" Blink smiled bitterly at his enemy and then turned to Skitt, "If I say yeah, will I get the Bulls on my trail?" Skittery nodded and Blink turned away from his friend. "Only a question, Scab, but'a . if you wanted to make it sum'thin' bigger . who'm I to fight it?" Blink rolled the suggestion off his tongue, cool and collected. "Ain't got no reason ta fight you," the Scab said wearily. "So yer chicken?" Skittery laughed and Blink joined in soon after. Calling a Scab chicken to his face was something newsies would ponder over before they'd go to bed at night, so naturally, when Skittery saw the opportunity to do so, he took it. As the boy began to grasp the insult, Skittery and Blink had already started walking away from the Scabs slapping each other and laughing to themselves. The Scabs stared angrily at the boys' retreating backs. The first Scab whacked his friend in the arm to get his attention. "Yeah, Oscar?" "We gotta go get the others, Morris . I ain't gonna take no crap from no newsie." Morris nodded at his brother as the two boys took off to find their friends.  
  
As Skittery and Kid Blink strolled into the Distribution Center, they were met with many glaring faces. Their laughter was fast put to an end as the two looked in horror at the weapons carried by the men before them. "Oh shit." Skittery followed his friends swift footsteps as the Scabs behind them began a chase down to Greeley Square. The running ceased quickly as Blink stopped short, looking up at one of his best friends. "Jack! They're chasing us, me and Skittery! They got knifes, Jack!" Jack turned from Blink and called out behind him, newsies from every alley and street corner came racing towards their leader, walking sticks out and ready for a fight. In seeing the multiplied number of their enemy, the Scabs did little more then slow down. The fight was developing fast as every newsie latched onto a Scab and began swinging and hitting anything he could get to. A sharp whistle and the clattering of horse hooves against cobblestone told the fighters their brawl had attracted the attention of the police. Nightsticks were soon added into the frenzy as two lawmen struggled to break the groups apart. "ALRIGHT, BREAK IT UP BOYS, KNOCK IT OFF! OFFICER JONES! PULL THOSE TWO APART! I WANT PEACE HERE!" Warden Snyder's voice pierced through the boys' skulls and ended the riot. "Peace?" One Scab said, almost laughing at the Wardens stupidity. "I hate that fuckin' word! Just like I hate all bulls and them DAMNED newsies!" "Shut your dirty trap, boy," the officer said menacingly. "Alright, alright! Calm down! I want all of you where I can see you, right now! That means you too, Racetrack, you and that Boots character better get your dirty hands off of that statue before I pull you off!" "But sir! We enjoy Greeley Square!" Racetrack commented, leaping off the Horace Greeley Statue. "Yeah, it keeps us poor newsies outta' the doorsteps of fine people like yerself," Jack said smiling at the warden. "Look you kids, this is about the third fight of yours we've had to break up in the past two weeks! If you're gonna bloody each other up like that, then do it in your own damned lodging houses, you all make the streets filthy enough already, am I clear on this? Any questions?" "Uh. yeah sir I got one," Racetrack stepped out of his friends crowd and smirked at the Warden. "Look uh. I got this hot tip on the sixth, care ta place a bet?" Newsies and Scabs a like had to laugh at that, showing up a man of the law was always commendable. "Get out of here you little. kids, I don't want to see anymore fighting between you, got it?" The Warden stepped into his carriage and he and the officer road out of Greeley Square, the Scabs dispatched from each other, making different sly remarks about the police officers and laughing with their friends. Once every Scab left, the newsies bitterness began to surface. "Keep outt'a the square," mocked Blink. "Stay off'a the statue," continued Mush. "Outt'a the alleys!" Skittery kept it up. "Stop crowdin' the bridges!" "Don't cause no trouble!" "Go head on back home." "GET ATT'A NEW YORK! A newsie who don't own da streets he lives on is nothin'!" Racetrack yelled.  
  
"We do own it!" Jack snapped. "C'mon fella's," he lead the newsies into Tibby's and sat at a booth by which they all crowded around. "We gonna let a few big boys with sticks scare us away from what ours? The Scabs fight hard, they're tough, but remember the guys from Hells Kitchen, and then The Ould Sixth? They tried a go at our turf, but we came out on top in the end! And that's what's gonna happen with these lousy goons! All we gotta do is get ta Spot." "Who needs Spot?" Racetrack rolled his eyes and sat across from Jack. "We need Spot! He's gotta' rep bigger then the Hudson River!" "He don't want any part of us . he's gone soft with the Scabs in his area." "Race, once you're a newsies, there ain't no goin' back, you know that, we're family, and I can guarantee, Spots gonna be here to help us. Now you all know about the dance at Irving Hall tonight, and you know the Scabs are sure to be there?" "Course!" Crutchy grinned. "But the Halls neutral territory," Mush said. ((AN: I know. big word for Mush's poofy head, but I couldn't come up with better one)) "I know Mush, I ain't gonna give Snyder no reason to bust any heads, I'm only gonna challenge'em. So everybody dress your best, and meet me and Spot at Medda's at ten, and walk tall!" "We always walk tall," Blink laughed. "We're newsies," Mush called. "The Greatest!" Race smirked. Jack began walking out of Tibby's and was on his way to Spot's when he was stopped by a voice he knew entirely too well. "HEY COWBOY!" "Tint - " "Did you see me out there! Did you see me get Morris right in the eye! I was great! I'm tellin' you, Cowboy, you need someone like me on your side!" a small girl with her hair cut short cried franticly. "Tint, you ain't joinin' wit' us, you wanna be a newsie, that's your decision, but I don't need you followin' us around everywhere we go." Jack replied irritably. "Yeah, hit the road, doll." Blink joined. Tint glared at the newsies over her shoulder as she stormed out of Tibby's, Jack watched her go before leaving himself, he wasn't about to give Tint a reason to follow him all the way too the Brooklyn Bridge. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "C'mon Jack, I don't do that sort of thing anymore." "Spot! You gotta come to the dance! How can you give up on your friends like that? I mean, if you go for this, it's like killing two birds wit' one stone. You get a go at the Scabs, you can help out the newsies in their hour of need," Jack looked at Spot as he handed over a paper to a couple and pocketed a penny. Spot turned as the couple walked away and looked at Jack. "Look, I'm not just gonna beat up on some Scabs fer no reason Jack, I mean, I don't see any point to it anymore," Spot looked up to Jacks face and saw he didn't quite understand he was saying. "Ya see. I've been. I dunno. waiting for something, Jack." Jack smiled, "A dame?" he said wiggling his eyebrows. Spot smiled at his friend. "I dunno. but its somethin' - " "Well. maybe that somethin'll be at the dance tonight!" Jack replied. Spot paused for a moment, who knows? Maybe what he was waiting for was at the dance. Spot smiled at Jack. "Maybe I'll show up then." "Great Spot, see you at Medda's," Jack tipped his cowboy hat at Spot and strolled away from his friends grinning face.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Most "Scabs", as the Newsies referred to them as, lived in the small tenement building above the Distribution Alley for the New York Word. Just as the Newsies had created a family within their class, so had the Scabs. In one tiny apartment there were two girls arguing, the first of which had black, almost wavy hair that nearly came down to her mid back. She had hazel eyes that looked at the world as if to say, "Get away, I don't like you." She was of average height and held a strong demeanor, yet was still very thin. Acacia had a similar disposition as her friend, but instead of hazel, she had forest green eyes and long goldish brown hair instead of black. Acacia pulled her hair into an untidy braid as she sat in a worn chair, placed in front of an old table. She had cloth sprawled in every direction and was sewing to a design drawn on a piece of paper she had placed beside her. "Acacia!!" Mix whined. "All the guys at Irving Hall are gonna be starin' at Medda's legs, how'm I gonna meet anybody when I'm wearing a Sunday dress?" Mix slapped at the fabric Acacia was sewing together. "It ain't a Sunday dress. well not anymore, besides, we got limited resources and I'm tryin' my best ta make this dress work for you, would a thank you be too much?" Mix looked and the dress once more, an expression of utter disgust crossed her face. "How's about we lower the neck," she smiled at Acacia. "Oscar would have my head, and you ain't even seen the damn thing! How do you know you won't love it?" Acacia feigned sadness but got over her little act as she picked up the finished light blue dress. Mix glared at it as Acacia pushed her towards a mirror. Acacia forced the dress over Mix's clothing while she was forced to listen to her complaints. After the struggle was ended and Mix was finally twirled around to look into the mirror, her expression of frustration changed rapidly. She turned a little to look at the back of the dress and smiled. "Oh, Acacia! It's beautiful!" "What I tell you?" She said cockily. "Oh wow! I look good!" Mix continued to talk to herself about her dress until there was a soft knock at the door. "Mix, Acacia, its us! Let us in!" Acacia smiled at the rudeness of her boyfriend and then walked to the door. "Oscar, if you fuck this door up like last time, I'm gonna kick yer ass." "Yeah, yeah." Oscar walked into the room and glanced at his best friend, Mix. "My dear, you look stunning. Morris, get yer butt over here, don't she look great?" Morris nodded politely ((AN: yeah, so they're a little out of character. sue me.) "Ahem," Acacia started. "And what am I? Chopped knockwurst?" ((AN: AHH HAHAHAHA)) Oscar smiled. "Very beautiful." He stepped towards his girlfriend as Morris took Mix's hand. "Are you girls ready to go?" Morris asked. Mix nodded happily, however reluctant she was to go with Morris, however Oscar was a good friend of hers, so what could she do? 


End file.
